Monday's opening night speeches included a mix of figures linked broadly under the theme of "Make America Safe Again," along with Melania Trump

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

Trump Booed Leaving New York TimesPresident Elect Donald Trump is booed as he walks through the lobby of The New York Times Building after a 75-minute meeting with Times journalists. The lobby of the Times building is open to the public, and a large crowd had gathered by the time he departed. (Published Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016)

After a harsh primary, Donald Trump's general election campaign officially opened with a warm and personal validation from his wife, Melania Trump, who kicked off the Republican convention by assuring voters that the brash candidate has the character and determination to unite a divided nation.

"If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he is the guy," Mrs. Trump told delegates in her highest profile appearance of the presidential campaign.

Her husband made a brief, but showy entrance, into the convention hall to introduce her, emerging from shadows and declaring to cheers, "We're going to win, we're going to win so big." He returned to the stage after his wife's remarks, greeting her warmly with a kiss and cheering her on along with the crowd.

Mrs. Trump's appearance was a sharp contrast to most of the night's other speakers.

Trump Takes Meetings at His New Jersey Golf Club

President-elect Trump interviewed more than a dozen candidates for his administration at his New Jersey golf club over the weekend, including Mitt Romney, Rudy Guliani, Chris Christie and Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach, who has been tough on immigration, and others. (Published Monday, Nov. 21, 2016)

"It is kindness, love and compassion for each other that will bring us together — and keep us together. These are the values Donald and I will bring to the White House," she said, in 15-minute remarks.

Others painted a bleak picture of an American future that they said only her husband can correct. A parade of speakers told emotional stories about loved ones killed while serving in the military or at the hands of people in the United States illegally. And they cast the turbulent times as a direct result of weak leadership by President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who spent four years in the administration.

"Who would trust Hillary Clinton to protect them? I wouldn't," Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in one of the night's most fiery addresses.

Many of the party's past and future stars were glaringly missing from the lineup, underscoring the concerns GOP leaders have with closely aligning themselves with Trump. The businessman has cast aside decades of Republican orthodoxy in his unexpected political rise, creating a crisis within the GOP about its future.

Republican divisions erupted briefly on the convention floor Monday afternoon after party officials adopted rules by a shouted voice vote. Anti-Trump forces seeking to derail his nomination responded with loud and angry chants, though they were quickly quieted and there were no lingering signs of the protests as delegates returned to the cavernous convention hall for the evening program.

Trump hoped the chaos would be little more than a footnote. Despite persistent party divisions, his campaign is confident Republicans will come together behind their shared disdain for Clinton.

Republicans also highlighted at length the deadly 2012 attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, while Clinton was serving as secretary of state. The mother of one of the victims choked back tears as she personally blamed Clinton for her son's death and accused her of giving a false explanation for the attack.

"If Hilary Clinton can't give us the truth, why should we give her the presidency," Pat Smith said.

Trump Holds Series of Meetings With Potential Cabinet Candidates

President-elect Donald Trump is holding a series of meetings all weekend with potential candidates at his New Jersey golf course as he continues to mull over dozens of positions in his upcoming administration. NBC's Chris Pollone reports. (Published Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016)

The convention comes amid a wrenching period of violence and unrest, both in the United States and around the world. In a matter of weeks, Americans have seen deadly police shootings, a shocking ambush of police in Texas and escalating racial tensions, not to mention a failed coup in Turkey and gruesome Bastille Day attack in Nice, France. Three police officers were killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the eve of the convention's opening day.

Convention speakers relentlessly cast the troubling times as a result of ineffective leadership by President Barack Obama and Clinton, who spent four years in his administration.

"Hillary Clinton cannot be trusted. Her judgment and character are not suited to be sitting in the most powerful office in the world," said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, according to excerpts of her speech released in advance.

Clinton, during remarks Monday at the NAACP's annual convention, said there was no justification for directing violence at law enforcement.

Clinton Reflects on Defeat: 'Never, Ever Give Up'

Hillary Clinton is reflecting on her devastating defeat, acknowledging the difficulty of her loss for her supporters and urging them to persevere through the Donald Trump era. She is encouraging her backers to "never, ever give up."
Making her first public appearance Wednesday evening since her emotional concession speech a week earlier, Clinton said: "It's up to each and every one of us to keep working to make America better and stronger and fairer." (Published Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016)

"As president, I will bring the full weight of the law to bear in making sure those who kill police officers are brought to justice," she said.

Trump has been vague about how he would put the nation on a different course, offering virtually no details of his policy prescriptions despite repeated vows to be tough.

Campaign chairman Paul Manafort said Trump would "eventually" outline policy specifics but not at the convention. However, Trump said in a Monday night interview with Fox News that his convention speech Thursday would discuss a "major, major" tax cut, immigration, getting rid of burdensome regulations and taking care of veterans.

Yet the line-up of speakers and no-shows for the four-night convention was a visual representation of Trump's struggles to unify Republicans. From the party's former presidents to the host state governor, many leaders were staying away from the convention stage, or Cleveland altogether, wary of being linked to a man whose proposals and temperament have sparked an identity crisis within the GOP.

Trump's team insists that by the end of the week, Republicans will plunge into the general election campaign united in their mission to defeat Clinton. But campaign officials undermined their own effort Monday by picking a fight with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is not attending the convention and has yet to endorse Trump."

Manafort, in remarks to reporters at a Bloomberg breakfast, called Kasich "petulant" and said the governor was "embarrassing" his party in his home state.

WATCH: Obama Welcomes Trump to the White House

President Barack Obama welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to the White House Thursday for a private meeting in the Oval Office. After spending roughly 90 minutes together the pair made a brief statement to reporters. Obama said he was "encouraged" by the wide-ranging conversation the pair had, adding that it's important "we call come together" to face the challenges America faces. Trump added that he "very much looks forward" to dealing with President Obama in the future and will rely on his "counsel" (Published Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016)

Even some of those participating in the convention seemed to be avoiding their party's nominee. When House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke to Wisconsin delegates Monday morning, he made no mention of Trump in his remarks.

Ryan, asked at a later event whether Trump was really a conservative, said: "Define conservative; he's not my kind of conservative."